Orange County commissioners take up tourist-tax plan Monday, with $400 million proposed for Dr. Phillips Center

Dated location file photo, Nov. 4, 2024: The Dr. Phillips Center and Seneff Arts Plaza in downtown Orlando. Photo: Connor J. Williams / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0). Resized; website wordmark added. Photo source · License

Orange County commissioners meet Monday, Oct. 19, to talk about how to spend future tourist-tax money, and the biggest item in the mayor's plan is in downtown Orlando: $400 million toward the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts master plan.

The special meeting runs from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the commission chambers at the Orange County Administration Center, 201 S. Rosalind Ave. County staff will present a proposed funding scenario for discussion. The board accepted a citizen task force's recommendations in August, but the funding scenario itself is still a proposal, and commissioners have the final say on which projects, if any, move ahead.

Largest items in the mayor's proposed tourist-tax plan

Project	Proposed amount	Timing or financing
Dr. Phillips Center master plan	$400 million	Bonded by the City of Orlando
Application Review Committee grant program	$75 million	2029 to 2033
Eatonville Museum of Culture and History	$60 million	Beginning 2027
Florida Citrus Sports parking structure	$52.5 million	Beginning 2028
Natural resource tourism infrastructure grants	$50 million	10 years from 2028
Eco-tourism grant program	$50 million	10 years from 2028
UCF soccer stadium and track facility	$46 million	Beginning 2029
Ocoee Forest Lake Golf Club and conference campus	$30 million	Beginning 2028

Source: orlandosentinel.com

What is being proposed

According to local media, Mayor Jerry Demings laid out a plan in a memo to commissioners this month that would spend more than $800 million on 13 projects and programs. In the memo, he wrote that trimming requests made it possible to fund all 12 projects the citizen task force recommended, plus part of a request from the University of Central Florida.

The Dr. Phillips Center would receive about half of that total. The $400 million is less than the $750 million the center first sought, and the proposal lists the money as bonded by the City of Orlando. Local media reported that the center's CEO, Kathy Ramberger, said its inclusion reflects the role arts and culture play in drawing visitors and supporting local businesses.

Smaller pieces of the plan include $25 million for the 8 Waves I Am Children's Museum starting in 2027. The plan would also raise the county Arts and Cultural Affairs allocation from 5% to 6% of the first four cents of tourist-tax revenue starting in 2027, worth about $3 million more a year.

How this connects to the summer task force

On Aug. 25, the board accepted the recommendations of a citizen advisory task force and told staff to study applicants and projects that had not been reviewed, along with possible funding scenarios. The county says the staff scenario to be presented Monday reflects both the task force's recommendations and the board's direction. Demings' memo is his own proposal to the board.

UCF's piece has drawn objections. The university first asked for $119 million; the mayor's plan includes $46 million for a soccer stadium and track facility beginning in 2029. Local media reported that Commissioner Kelly Semrad, whose east Orange district includes UCF, argued the revised pitch should not be considered because other applicants did not get the same chance to revise. Commissioner Mayra Uribe backed the plan and said she was glad the Dr. Phillips Center got a decent share.

Demings also held off on another convention center expansion, saying construction already underway should be finished before more tourist-tax money goes to that building, local media reported.

Where the money comes from

The Tourist Development Tax is a 6% charge on hotel room nights and short-term rental stays in Orange County. State law limits its uses to tourism marketing and to facilities and programming that attract more tourism, which is why the list leans on arts venues, sports facilities and tourism grant programs rather than roads or housing.

The task force urged county leaders to press state lawmakers to loosen those limits so the money could help with needs such as transportation and housing. That would require a change in state law, separate from Monday's discussion.

How to follow the meeting

Orange TV will carry the meeting live, and it can also be watched on YouTube. The meeting is listed as a work session, so residents watching should listen for whether commissioners give staff direction on specific projects, including the Dr. Phillips Center amount and the UCF request.